Reproduction of color photographic designs



R E G m s L REPRODUCTION OF COLOR PHOTOGRAPHIC DESIGNS Filed July 29,1937 INVENTOR. L EON SWGER Paul ATM 0T ATTORNEY.

Patented. May 14, 1940 2,201,128 REPRBDUCTIQN 0F COLOR PHOTOGBLAPBICDESIG Leon Singer, Brookly N. Y. Application an 29, 1937, Serial No.irate-1 3 Claims. (01. 95- -2) My invention relates to a ,new process ofmaking repeat color'designs from color photographs and has among itsobjects to provide:

Color separation films or transparencies direct 5 from color photographswith the design arranged for repeat or continuous design such as used intextiles, wallpaper, etc.

A novel method or process for reproducing,

color photographs on textiles.

l0 A simplified, direct printing color separation photographic platesuited to cylindrical continuous printing.

While my invention is a method or process the accompanying drawing willserve to illustrate the process and reference characters in thefollowing description are also found on the drawing which illustratesand forms a part of the description.

The reproduction of Nature's beautiful designs caught intheir naturalcolors by color photography is made practical by my process. Suchdesigns are modified slightly to make them repeat for continuousprinting for instance upon textiles by rearranging the motives.

The prohibitive cost of making up a complete repeat color film afterwhich the colors are separated on their several color separation filmsis unnecessaryby the use of my process which provides the colorseparation films direct-from the color photograplritndthe rearranging ofthe necessary designs or motives on the film so as to repeat on thecolor f separation films. The moving and rearranging of motive part ofdesign and/or color is a single step and applied to the separation filmsand not on a master plate-or rearf rang'ement.

This is made possible by the use of registering indicators or'registration points which make the placing, of the motives or figures tobe moved a f matter of easy and positive alignment or registration;

To illustrate, the top view of the drawing represents the colorphotograph; the bottom view is the repeat reproducion in full colors;the views between, the color separation films or negatives enlarged.

The rectangle I on the colored photograph 2 is to be rearranged andrepeated as shown by the numerous somewhat similar rectangles and partsof rectangles i on the repeat design at the bottorn. r

It will be seen to make the design repeat that the black object a on'theright border line it must be duplicated on the left border line 5. 65 Tofacilitate moving the motive 3 at the repeat line to the repeat line 6 aplurality of indicators 6 are spotted'equi-distant from the lines 4 and8 as well as in fixed relation to the top repeat line I and bottomrepeat line 8. These indicators appear on the color separation negativesand may 5 be easily removed after the transfer has been made. Likewiseany other motive may be transferredto match perfectly the transfer. basemade on the color separation negative orfilms.

A black object is of course relocated on the black 10 negative film,blue on'its respective biue separation film color and as often as theremaybe a requirement for the rearrangement of motives and also colorseparation films. Four such. plates are shown in the drawing. 15 T Thedistance between line 4 and line Sis an aliquot part of thecircumference of the cylindrical printing roller. For instance thedistance may be 5" and the circumference four times 5" or 20".

To break up too much uniformity in the re peat design the location ofthe repeat rectangles are staggered as shown in the bottom figure. The'border lines 4 and 5 are exactly half way between the same border linesof the rectangles be- 25 low. .Thus one half repeats" are required onthe upper repeat line I and lower repeat line-8.

The red object. 9 on the repeat line 7 therefore must be repeated at anequal distance for instance at the left side of the rectangle on the 30bottom repeat line 8 and by the use of the registration points 6 may belocated exactly in position on the red color film shown in the second vfigure from the top.

Objects or motives not on repeat or half repeat 35 lines which may bedesired to be for any reason removed, replaced or rearranged, may belikewise processed to produce the composite repeat design desired.

Thus by careful selection and manipulation 4 photocolor designs may beprinted on numerous materials producing eil'ects heretofore impossibleand by any ordinary process too expensive to be practical.

To facilitate cutting the film up and rear- 45 ranging the motives,duplicate films and color separation films are used.

While the drawing for the purpose of clarity and simplicity shows verysimple motives, the

usual naturaldesigns are complicated and .the

color tones and half tones present a great variety. The large motivenear the upper right center of the illustration is for instance black,yellow, green, brown, blue and red. Thus the brown center i may appearon the black and red separation films.

The-green fringe appears on the blue and yellow color separation filmsand likewise many combinations of overlying colors may appear on theseveral color separation films to produce a color not possible on eithercolor separation film separately.

' The use of ray filters and the screen need not here be discussedasthese are commonly used in reproducing printing plates and cylinders.

The general process however, of preparing the copper cylinderparticularly as applied in repeat printing of color photographs and tomy process may help to record the steps desired.

The color photograph which may be for instance, flowers or any design orpicture is provided with registration points and repeat and half-repeatlines. These points may be small crosses, circles, lines, or anyconvenient removable or permanent means of registering the motives,objects, etc., which may appear desirable to rearrange, modify or removeto make the repetition of the design possible. Ray filters are thenapplied to separate the colorson films of which several duplicates areusually made depending on the nature of the design or subject to berearranged for the repeated design as it will appear when printed on thetextile, Wall paper, etc. From these color separation films therearrangement is made, usually by cutting out and adhering such cut-outparts to a new location in relation to the repeat lines and in registerwith the registration points which appear regardless of color on thecolor separation films the screen and assembling the several designswith their motives and/or objects then are reproduced on the sensitizedmetal roll afterward etched or otherwise made ready to print the designin the usual manner.

The arrangement of the repeat and half repeat lines may be made invarious ways to produce effects less easily detected than thearrangement shown, for instance, other repeat designs may be alternatedor several designs may be matched to repeat so that similar designs maybe spaced at a sufficient distance from each other to conceal theimaginary repeat lines more effectively.

I do not Wish to be limited to the details illustrating the applicationof' my process as I may ping the border thereof, applying registrationmarks around, said certain elements and around other portions of theborder in which said certain elements are to recur in the finisheddesign, making a set of color separation records for each primary color,each set comprising a main record and auxiliary records, cutting outsaid certain elements in said auxiliary records and afiixing them onsaid other portions of each said main record of the same set by means ofsaid registain elements of the design overlapping the border thereof,applying registration marks around said certain elements and aroundother portions of tile border in which said certain elements are torecur in the finished design, making a set of color separation recordsfor each primary color, each set comprising a main record and auxiliaryrecords, cutting out said certain elements in said auxiliary recordsand. afllxing them on said other portions of each said main record ofthe same set by means of said registration marks, forming a number ofreproductions of each of the main records so produced, assembling suchrecords to form a repeat design for each color separation andrecombining the repeat color separation designs to form a completedcolor repeat design.

3. In a process of reproducing parts of a color photograph in a repeateddesign from an original color photograph having an area thereof setapart and within a certain border, applying registration marks aroundcertain elements in and around said border in which said elements are torecur in the finished design, then making a set of color separationrecords for each primary color, each set comprising a main record andauxiliary records, removing certain of said elements from said auxiliaryrecords and ailixing at least a part of them on said main record bymeans of said registration marks, forming a number of reproductions ofeach of said main records so produced, assembling such records to form arepeat color separation and recombining the repeat color separationdesigns to form the completed color repeat design.

LEON SINGER.

